Creamy Balsamic Dressing

This creamy balsamic dressing made with balsamic vinegar, Greek yoghurt and mayonnaise makes a delicious change from an oil and vinegar salad dressing.

Creamy balsamic dressing

This easy creamy balsamic dressing is made with mayonnaise, sweet thick balsamic vinegar, Greek yoghurt, maple syrup, mustard and seasoning which all combine to make a pourable versatile dressing that enhances so many salads.

I nearly always make a vinaigrette style dressing for salad, but sometimes you want a creamy dressing that can dress potatoes and chicken as well as green salad. This dressing is perfect for that! It is a little on the thin side to use as a dip – but it hasn’t stopped me making a heap of crudities and diving in!

See also

• Miso dressing livens up salads with punchy Japanese-influenced umami flavours.

• Add extra herby flavours to a salad with my Mediterranean salad dressing.

• Pomegranate salad dressing is a fruity favourite.

• All my salad dressing recipes to ring the salad changes

As I’ve said before we are creatures of habit, and our regular work from home lunch consists of soup, salad and a toastie. Ringing the changes with a different dressing every week keeps things fresh and interesting. Even though I cook for 2, I batch mix my dressing making enough for a week at a time.

This creamy balsamic dressing is the creamy based alternative to my balsamic dressing, made with a mayonnaise base, and lightened with some Greek Yogurt.

This dressing is super simple to make, add all the ingredients to a jar or bowl, shake or whisk up and serve! This makes about a cup – which is enough to generously dress 6 green salads for 2 people.

Why make creamy balsamic dressing

• Make from basic pantry ingredients – you know exactly what is going into it

• No thickeners and emulsifiers

• One bowl or jar – barely any clean up

• Adaptable to your diet and taste

Creamy balsamic dressing – ingredients

• Mayonnaise – Your favourite – ideally something fairly basic that doesn’t taste too strong, think of the mayonnaise as the canvas for the other flavours, providing the base and the creamy texture

• Greek Yoghurt – Or any plain natural yoghurt that is fairly thick – this will lighten the mayonnaise and add a little tang

• Balsamic vinegar – this is the most important ingredient – you want a reasonable vinegar – something from the mid to upper end of what is available in the regular supermarket. It will be more expensive, but not so much that it makes you flinch at the thought of buying it.
  
  A good balsamic will taste sweet but still have some sharpness, but isn’t overly sharp. A good rule of thumb is when you shake the bottle it will take 5 seconds or so to run down the inside.
  
  If you only have a table balsamic don’t worry – you can add a little more maple syrup or honey to sweeten.

• Maple syrup – to help sweeten the dressing – you can also use honey

• Seasoning – sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a few garlic granules

• Dijon Mustard – adds another layer of complexity to the dressing, and works as a flavour enhancer, I rarely make a dressing without it. It does not make your dressing taste of mustard.

How to make creamy balsamic dressing – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this creamy balsamic dressing recipe perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Put all the ingredients into a bowl, and give a good stir.

I find a bowl is easier than shaking in a jar to break up the mayonnaise. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, depending on your balsamic vinegar you may need a little more maple syrup or honey.

Step Two – Transfer to a jar to serve.

Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
Use a wide necked jam funnel if serving in a glass jug – it is so much neater as it prevents (most) of the drips inside the glass.

Ideally leave to stand for half an hour to allow the flavours to meld and round

Serving suggestion

This dressing is delicious with a green salad, especially with bitter leaves. We love this to dress a chopped salad, and it also goes well with leftover potatoes or roast chicken.

Variations

• Play with the ratios of yoghurt and mayonnaise for a lighter and tangier dressing

• Make this vegan with a plant based mayonnaise and yoghurt.

• Use half a clove of crushed fresh garlic in place of the granules, but then eat within a few days.

Storage

Fridge – Transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge, keeps well for one week.

Freezer – The dressing can’t be frozen as it will split. Make fresh when needed, or shortly before and keep in the fridge.

Take out of the fridge half an hour before serving to allow to come to room temperature.

Hints and tips

• The most important ingredient here is the balsamic vinegar – you will get far better results with a better quality one.

• As with all dressing recipes allow it to rest a while after making before serving, and always allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

FAQs

More salad dressing recipes

Sweet chilli dressing makes a great change from yet another vinaigrette on your salad and veg. It’s easy to make, with gentle heat and a hint of sweet and sour.

Our easy to make tahini dressing is a kitchen staple. Make up a batch at the weekend and keep it in the fridge to use all week long.

Or try this fresh herby Italian dressing